Engaging young people of all backgrounds

Amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, engineers have been invaluable in helping develop new virus testing technology, create more PPE for frontline workers and build new hospitals.

Despite the essential role engineers play in society, they are in short supply. EngineeringUK predicts an annual shortfall of almost 60,000 engineering graduates and technicians. Furthermore, only eight per cent of the engineering workforce come from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, and only 12% are women.

So, what is missing? Part of the issue is a lack of understanding about what engineers do; negative stereotypes and misconceptions of engineering as ‘too academic’, ‘dirty’ or a ‘boy’s subject’ can make the industry seem inaccessible. For young girls and those from BME or disadvantaged backgrounds, a lack of relatable role models makes it even harder for them to aspire to a career in the field.

We have a responsibility to improve diversity and ensure that young people from all backgrounds feel empowered to pursue their passion in engineering. Providing more hands-on experiences for children from a young age is necessary to make engineering accessible and attainable for girls and students from BME and disadvantaged backgrounds; otherwise we risk alienating future talented engineers.

Partnerships which enable us to extend our resources and provide these experiences are vital to break down the barriers to entry.

As an industry we must be inspiring and equipping young people from all backgrounds to achieve their full potential in engineering. Working with children’s education charity, The Smallpeice Trust, enables us to deliver more practical experiences which get young people excited about STEM. Doing this as early as possible in a child’s education will help ensure they feel confident and capable to pursue engineering as a career, if they desire.

Our residential courses are delivered over five days on an RAF base and give students exposure to a range of engineering specialisations from learning about logistical support and the trade-off between fuels and weights, to mechanical engineering, coding and robotics-based activities. Students experience the reality of an engineer’s day-to-day and get to work on real-life projects, building up valuable STEM skills in the process.

Society is waking up to the vital roles that women play in STEM however female engineering role models are still not visible enough when compared to the male engineers being taught in schools. Exposure to RAF professionals from all backgrounds is therefore a key element of our residential courses. Students get to work alongside some of our senior female leaders and hear their experiences, watching them climb inside a Typhoon jet or work on communications infrastructure in the operations room. Shining a light on the inspiring female and BME role models doing great things in the industry will help us to build confidence in young girls.

A partnership approach enables us to reach more schools in remote rural regions and disadvantaged communities to deliver STEM activity days. We go directly into schools up and down the country to engage more girls and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who might otherwise have felt cut off from the world of engineering. Students work in teams on an engineering-based challenge, such as building a powered glider, where they can put their scientific knowledge and creative abilities to the test.

Making sure these interventions are accessible to all young people in the UK is the key to raising engineering aspirations and creating a more diverse, talented workforce for the future.

www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk

www.raf.mod.uk